Islands of Japan30 Sep-11 Oct 2019

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Japan is a country of islands so what better way to explore the country than cycling three of the islands - Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu - to discover the diversity and beauty that few people realise Japan holds.

A visit to Japan is pure indulgence for the senses, so come prepared to experience a rich history that dates back centuries and to soak after a day of cycling in zen-like onsen spas, visit beautiful forests, mountains and sea coasts as well as futuristic architecture and transportation, sample delicious regional cuisine, and meet the polite and candid locals as well as lovers of Hello Kitty and karaoke.

Japan is a hilly country so there will be plenty of hills to pedal up and role down. We will use ferries to cross from island to island, stay one night in a temple in the spiritual centre of Koyasan as well as riding up a volcano - incredible variety!

SEMI-GUIDED

Our local team will include from one or two cycling guides, a lead vehicle to carry luggage and one vehicle at the back to lend a hand for anyone who wants to skip out some of the cycling or decides to stop riding. The number of guides will depend on how many participants we have on the ride.

Being a semi-guided trip you will have the option to ride on your own following the gps navigation information that we will provide, or you can choose to ride with a guide. Guides will depart at different times to allow you to choose what time you would like to set off each morning. We will have cut off times throughout the day with the back vehicle picking you up if you fall behind the pace.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

There is little flat land in Japan so this trip will include lots of climbing on reasonably long days so the fitter you are the better you will cope. There is, of course, a support vehicle with the group so it is easy enough to skip the hard bits and ride the easier sections each day. The route is all sealed roads with some bike tracks, almost all on quiet back roads.

You will be supplied with detailed gps navigation data which can be loaded onto your phone. The information will include route navigation, places to eat and sites of interest seen along the way.

GROUP SIZE

10-20 people

As a semi-guided trip you will be free to travel at your own pace or ride with one of our guides. Usually small groups of similarly paced cyclists form and ride together throughout the day so while you are travelling with a large group it never feels like a crowd.

BOOKINGS

PRICING & PAYMENT

AU$5000 per person, twin share

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL Book and pay your deposit by 31 January 2019 and pay only $4600.

A $500 deposit is required to confirm places on the trip. The deposit is non-refundable but we will refund providing we can find a replacement person to fill your place on the tour.

ITINERARY DETAIL

DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IZUMI

Izumi, the starting point of our trip, is a small city in the south of Kyushu. Shinkansen fast trains can bring you to Izumi from most parts of Japan. The nearest airport is the domestic airport at Kumamoto which is 100km north of Izumi. There are good transport links from Kumamoto to Izumi.

Arrive during the course of the day at Hotel Toko. The tour officially starts with a group meeting at 6pm followed by our delicious Japanese meal (included).

DAY 2 - Cycle Izumi to Hinagu Onsen (75km)

Let the ride begin! We set out amid citrus groves along the orange road to Minamata. A harrowing museum dedicated to the victims of the Minamata disease merits a stop. You'll be tracking the coastline today so take the opportunity to stop at Mitachimisaki and Ashikita Beaches. We enjoy the quiet Ashikita Natural Park, continuing along the Shiranui Sea to Hinagu Onsen.

This hot spring dates back approximately 600 years. From the Hinagu Onsen Jinja, a shrine where the god of the hot spring is enshrined, a sweeping view of the hot spring resort and the Shiranui Sea as well as the islands of Amakusa and Shimabara in the distance can be seen. There are still many buildings here that continue to depict the days long past. Our ryokan dating from 1909 with its exquisite wooden interior is just one example.

DAY 3 - Cycle Hinagu Onsen to oZU (72km)

Tall chimneys beckon us to Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture’s second city and industrial hub at the mouth of emerald Kuma River. The ruins of Yatsushiro Castle next to the elegant city museum designed by Toyo Ito. Past the paper mill and power plant. Rice paddies and igusa, the grass used to make tatami mats. The riding is flat on the Kumamoto Plain, we cross several more rivers. We follow Kasegawa River until just before Lake Etsuko and then Kiyama River further inland. Mashiki was the epicentre of the April 2016 earthquake. Here and there damage is still visible; repairs are ongoing. Rich black volcanic soil also tells us we are nearing Mount Aso volcano. We overnight in the nondescript town of Ozu. Staying in a modern hotel, Ozu serves as a staging point for our ascent of the volcano tomorrow.

DAY 4 - OZU to KURAKAWA (58KM)

Have a hearty breakfast because today we will climb the caldera rim. The climb is tough and will take some time but eventually you will be standing on the rim of the caldera, a spectacular moment: we see the rim stretching all the way around, Aso Plain in the bottom with the young volcano growing in the middle. After all that climbing a nice long downhill is welcome relief as you roll down a beautiful forested backroad into Minami Oguni. The last 10km to Kurokawa Onsen hold a few short stepp hills to really prepare you for tonights bath. Kurokawa is a wonderfully charming little town with two streets and a bunch of hot springs dotted around.

DAY 5 - KURAKAWA to BEPPU (70km)

Today it is all ups and downs in the shadow of Kyushu’s highest mountain, Mt Kuju (1791m). We pass by several onsen towns and join the historic Yamanami Highway. First foreign tourists to Japan arrived in Nagasaki and followed this classic road from Nagasaki over Aso to Beppu. Picturesque Yufuin sits in the shadow of the majestic twin peaks of Yufu-dake. An excellent lunch spot. The afternoon ride takes us around Mt. Yufu to Beppu, belching and basking in its bay. We visit one of Beppu’s Seven Hells. These Hells are a popular tourist attraction in Japan.

DAY 6 - Ferry BEPPU to Yawatahama, Cycle to Uchiko (43km)

We hop on the ferry to Yawatahama on Shikoku Island ( 1 hour 20 mins) and cycle to Ozu with its magnificent castle. Shikoku Island is noted for the 88-temple Pilgrimage, and here you can expect to see a number of ‘ohenro’ pilgrims in white clothing. The region is also well known for mandarin oranges. Uchiko is a photographer’s dream. Part of the town is a typical small modern mountain town but sections have been perfectly preserved as a living museum, where people still reside and where traditional crafts are still alive. The candle shop may be the only place where Japanese candles are still made using the traditional method. Some of you stay in the residence once owned and renovated by Mr. Takahashi, Japan’s beer king. The others stay in an old merchant house in quaint Yokaichi Street.

DAY 7 - Cycle Uchiko to Matsuyama (62km)

We have breakfast in Mr. Takahashi’s living room and are sad to leave this gorgeous place. On the cycling menu today are two 300m climbs before we reach the shores of the Seto Inland Sea. On the banks of Ishitegawa River we roll into Dogo Onsen, Japan’s oldest and most famous hot spring. Legend says that an egret who injured his shin found a hot spring at Dogo. He soaked his shin every day in the hot water. Eventually the egret healed and flew away.

DAY 8 - Transfer Matsuyama to Tokushima

Today we give our legs a rest and take a transfer in the afternoon from Matsuyama 200km eastward (3 hours). You might want to end the day with a stroll along Shinmachigawa River.

DAY 9 - Ferry Tokushima to Wakayama, Cycle to Koyasan (70km)

Ferry to sail across the Seto Inland Sea. The comfortable 2-hour ferry takes us to Wakayama on Honshu Island. From the ferry terminal in Wakayama City we bike alongside the Kinokawa River until we start the climb up Mt Koyasan. Following the Zakurogawa and Makunigawa rivers upstream to Nashinokitoge Pass (503m), then deeper into the Narukogawa valley to finally reach our sacred destination.

Koyasan was founded 1,200 years ago by Kukai (aka Kobo Daishi) as the main temple of Shingon Buddhism. At our temple stay at Ekouin you can glimpse the daily lives of Buddhist monks by participating in religious services and eating the traditional vegetarian food.

DAY 10 - Cycle Koyasan to Nara (97km)

This morning you can take part in the Buddhist service before breakfast. On leaving our temple lodging we visit Okunoin, a cemetery and sacred area leading to Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum. The path is lined by hundreds of centuries-old towering cedar trees and over 200,000 gravestones and memorial pagodas. Our cycling journey is a pleasurable downhill ride to join the Kinokawa River again. We cycle through rich rice fields sided by lush green mountains.

DAY 11 - Cycle Nara to Kyoto (63KM)

The river path winds through golden rice paddies on one side and green tea fields on the other. This region is renowned for its matcha green tea. Following the bike path along the Katsura River, we easily approach our final destination Kyoto. A last stop is Fushimiinari Shrine with the famous gallery of red torii gates. Then Kyoto Tower is beckoning us home. We lodge in its shadow near Kyoto Station.

DAY 12 - END

The tour ends with a check-out before 10am. Stay on and explore Kyoto and Japan more or if you are heading home it is an easy train ride to Osaka International Airport.

ELEVATION PROFILE

INCLUSIONS & EXTRAS

INCLUSIONS

ACCOMMODATION

This trip uses a range of accommodation including modern 3 star hotels, traditional and historic ryokans, and a night in a Buddhist temple. About half of the hotels don't have an ensuitebath/shower, as there is an onsen hot spring which is the tradition and still common way Japanese bathe. Most rooms do have a toilet and sink.

We will be working on a twin share basis. If you are a single traveller you will be matched with another person of your gender to share a twin room. If you would like a single room throughout the trip there will be a single supplement of AU$700.

MEALS

All breakfasts are included at our accommodation.

Lunches are not included allowing you to choose where to eat as you ride. There will be restaurant information included in the gps route data.

A welcome dinner on the first night and celebration final night dinner are are included as well as dinners in Hinagu (day 2), Kurakawa (day 4), and Koyasan (day 9). Other dinners will be free for you to choose your own experience. Of course our guides will be able to offer advice on where to eat.

BIKES

We will be provided with a range of branded hybrid/flat-bar bikes, which come with a wide range of gears for the terrain we will encounter:

Feel free to bring your own pedals, saddle, handlebar extensions, handlebar bag, helmet and water bottles. Panniers are available on request at no extra charge if you would prefer to carry your daily gear in these rather than a backpack.

Ebikes will be available at a surcharge price of $400. Ebikes must be reserved well in advance of the tour so please do let us know when you book if you would like to use one.

SUpport

As a semi-guided trip this tour has all the support features of a fully supported bike tour:

Guides - we will have up to 2 cycling guides with us out on the roads each day. You can choose to ride with a guide or on your own.

Backup Vehicle - we will have a dedicated support vehicle at the back of the group to look after anyone who needs a break from the cycling.

EXTRAS

You must have travel insurance as part of the conditions of travel. Your insurance must cover emergency medical and evacuation.

Ebikes are available at a surcharge price of $400.

Voluntary Single Supplement AU$700.

You will need to bring your own helmet as they are not supplied locally.

FLIGHTS, STOPOVERS, EXCURSIONS

Our agent partners at Nexus Travel in Monbulk are on hand to help with flight bookings, insurance, extra hotel nights, stopovers and anything else that you might need aside from the bike tour. If you would like any help or advice give Lucy a call on (03) 9756 7566. Lucy works Mon-Thu 9am-4pm.

PHOTO GALLERY

ENQUIRE

Want to know more about this trip? Fill in the form below and we'll email you back or if you'd rather chat call: